Catherine, The Duchess of Cambridge meets Governor-General of Canada H.E the Rt Hon David Johnston and Mrs Sharon Johnston at Buckingham Palace after her wedding to Prince William on April 29, 2011 in central London, England.Ian West
/ WPA Pool/Getty Images

Britain's Prince William (2ndR) and his bride Kate Middleton attend their wedding ceremony at Westminster Abbey in London on April 29, 2011.Anthony Devlin
/ AFP/Getty Images

LONDON — A vow, a ring, a kiss.

It was a simple thing, really, in its essentials: a young couple, quite evidently in love, exchanging their "troth" of togetherness.

But Friday's marriage of Prince William, a future King of Canada, and his picture-of-poise bride, Kate Middleton, was also something more — a glittering spectacle witnessed by nearly 2,000 guests at historic Westminster Abbey, at least 800,000 flag-flapping well-wishers on the streets of central London and as many as two billion television viewers around the world.

It was also an event certain to fuel the hope among defenders of the monarchy — in both Britain and Canada — that a time-worn institution has truly begun to replenish itself for a younger generation, one embodied in the newly wed and newly titled Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

Despite an undercurrent of sadness over the groom's missing mother, the late Diana, Princess of Wales, the "wedding of the century" that unfolded under a cloudy London sky seemed bathed in a spirit of genuine rejoicing, the delight on full display among the crowds outside the majestic church and also — somehow surprisingly — in the relaxed manner and glowing faces of the event's two principal participants.

From the pageantry-draped marriage ritual, to the horse-drawn carriage ride through the historic heart of the British capital, to the balcony of Buckingham Palace for their much-anticipated kiss, Prince William and his new bride marked a fairy-tale beginning Friday to what one watcher called their "happily ever after."

Standing next to William's grandparents — Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip — his father Prince Charles and brother Prince Harry, the newest royal couple spent several minutes smiling and waving from the balcony to the massive crowd that had gathered outside the palace.

One flower girl briefly covered her ears to block out the cheers until the bride leaned over and waved with the little girl. A group of Royal Air Force planes flew in perfect formation over Buckingham Palace in tribute to the couple.

Earlier, after exchanging marriage vows at the ancient abbey before Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, William took Kate's hand and slipped a gold ring onto her finger to make their union official. There was a brief moment of awkwardness — instantly familiar to anyone who has struggled to push a ring past a knuckle — but the slight wrinkle lent a common touch to the sumptuous ceremony.

The wedding band was made of Welsh gold, which was given to the prince by the Queen shortly after the couple announced their engagement.

William chose not to wear a wedding ring.

There was another endearing scene during the hour-long ceremony when — according to a lip-reader hired by one British newspaper — William turned with a smile to Michael Middleton, the bride's father, and said: "We were supposed to have just a small family affair."

Yet for all of the onlookers lining the route to the wedding, the heavy crush of international media attention and the countless millions watching at home all over the globe, there was something intimate about the event.

There were whispered jokes and knowing looks exchanged by the groom and his best man, Prince Harry. There was a chuckle shared, mid-sermon, by the fairy-tale couple. There were unforced smiles and easy gestures in abundance.

When the couple later took a spin near Buckingham Palace in a convertible sports car — licence plate "JU5T WED" and balloons trailing behind — the sight of William at the wheel next to his tousle-haired wife of two hours added another dash of the ordinary to a highly extraordinary day.

At one point in the ceremony, before the exchange of vows, William also mouthed the words, "You look beautiful," to his bride, who was dressed in a veiled ivory gown and tiara, her dark hair down.

The gown, created by British fashion designer Sarah Burton, had a nearly three-metre-long train. The "halo" tiara, made in 1936, was loaned to Kate by the Queen, who received it from her mother as an 18th-birthday present.

Prince William wore the red tunic of the Irish Guards regiment, with a blue sash.

The abbey itself was decorated with eight seven-metre-tall trees, six English Field Maple and two Hornbeam. Elaborate floral displays made from white azaleas, lilac and euphorbias were also arranged throughout the church.

Just hours before the wedding ceremony took place, Buckingham Palace announced that the Queen was bestowing new titles on Prince William and his bride-to-be.

"Prince William thus becomes His Royal Highness The Duke of Cambridge and Miss Catherine Middleton on marriage will become Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge," the announcement stated.

William also was given two other titles: the Earl of Strathearn and Baron Carrickfergus.

In his address to the couple during the ceremony, Rev. Richard Chartres said the entire world is celebrating the couple's wedding.

"This is a joyful day. It is good that people from every continent are able to share," he said to the couple. "This is, as every wedding should be, a day of hope."

As William and Kate emerged from the abbey, where 16 royal weddings have been held over the centuries a roar went up from the crowd assembled outside.

Hundreds of thousands of British citizens and countless tourists from abroad, including Canada, waved flags, sipped champagne and immersed themselves in the moment.

The wedding is the biggest event at Westminster since the 1997 funeral of Diana, who died in a Paris car accident a year after her divorce from Prince Charles.

MacKenzie Geidt and Tam Huynh, a couple from San Francisco, said they came to London to experience something unthinkable in the United States, noting there's far too much divisiveness among the political elite back home.

"I can't think of anything that would bring people together like this," said Huynh, 35.

"Our celebrities are such low-lives," added Geidt, wearing a turquoise feather fascinator she ordered months ago for the grand occasion.

Queen Elizabeth was dressed in a yellow, Angela Kelly-designed primrose dress with hand-sewn beading at the neck in the shape of sunrays.

Foreign monarchs and their companions sat behind the Royal Family.

Among the invited guests were several Canadians, including Gov. Gen. David Johnston and his wife, Sharon. Shortly before the ceremony, in a sign-of-the-times message sent from the viceregal Twitter account, Johnston revealed that Prince William "will wear the Canadian Forces Decoration at the Royal Wedding. A special relationship with our regiments."

In a wedding-eve interview in London with the CBC, Johnston said be believes Canadians feel "a great deal of affection" for "these two lovely young people" linked to Canada through its constitutional monarchy.

"This is a wonderful historical event, and of course the abbey is a remarkable historical institution," said Johnston, predicting the marriage will bolster support for the monarchy in Canada. "They're a very attractive young couple, and this is a wonderful story of a commoner marrying a prince."

Canadian businessman Galen Weston and his wife Hilary — a former lieutenant-governor of Ontario — were also in attendance, as was music icon Elton John and his Canadian partner, David Furnish of Toronto.

Autumn Phillips, the Montreal-born wife of Queen Elizabeth's eldest grandson, Peter Phillips, arrived with other members of the Royal Family. The former Autumn Kelly recently gave birth to the Queen's first great-grandchild, a daughter named Savannah.

Karen Gordon, an Alberta-born philanthropist and former fashion model, was at the wedding with her fiance Earl Spencer, William's uncle and brother of the late Diana.

After arriving at the abbey with Prince Harry about an hour before the bride, William strolled casually up the red carpet with his brother before greeting and chatting with Spencer and other guests at the front of the church.

Kate and her father left a downtown hotel just before 6 a.m. ET. During the short limousine ride to Westminster Abbey, she seemed relatively calm and waved frequently to excited spectators crowded along the road.

Kate's younger sister, Pippa, the maid of honour, shepherded four young bridesmaids throughout the ceremony.

Kate's brother James read verses from the book of Romans, chapter 12.

"Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good," he said during the reading. "Love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honour."

Outside the church, Carla Beyreis and Michelle Doucet of Halifax said they'd promised each other five years ago they'd attend Prince William's wedding.

They made good on that promise Friday, arriving in the darkness of 2 a.m. local time.

"They're a perfect match," Beyreis said of William and Kate. "We're looking forward to see them reigning."

In Canada, many admirers of the monarchy got up well before dawn to take part in special events celebrating the royal wedding.

At Toronto's King Edward Hotel, Kusam Kohil-Talwar donned a plastic silver tiara and remembered wearing her pyjamas 30 years ago when she got up early to watch the wedding of Charles and Diana.

When she heard about Prince William's engagement to Kate Middleton, she said, she knew she wanted to celebrate this marriage a bit differently.

"I'm here to attend a wedding," said Kohil-Talwar, "and because we all need a happily ever after."

Canadians' affection for William and Kate is likely to be stoked this summer when the couple arrives in this country for their first overseas royal visit as husband and wife.

The couple is scheduled to attend Canada Day festivities in Ottawa and visit other parts of the country during a planned tour that has thrilled the nation's royal watchers.

The romance of William and Kate was not without some drama. The couple met while studying at the University of St. Andrew's in Scotland.

While Kate and William were long-rumoured to be bound for the altar, the two broke up briefly in 2007 before reconciling and resuming the relationship.

The prince finally proposed during a vacation to Kenya last October.

On Nov. 16, the pair announced their engagement to a sea of reporters. Kate wore an oval sapphire engagement ring that once belonged to Diana.

Because of the affection many felt for the late Diana — dubbed "the People's Princess" by former prime minister Tony Blair — Friday's wedding was widely expected to be an emotional affair for William.

But there were few outward signs of sorrow on this day, as the beaming prince appeared devoted, in every sense of the word, to his future queen.

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